SOUTH TRACK AND FIELD Good sign for Jaiden Andrews

Jaiden Andrews is a model for how far you can go on hard work and dedication.

David Wolcott dwolcott@wickedlocal.com @DavidWolcott1

PLYMOUTH - Jaiden Andrews is a model for how far you can go on hard work and dedication.

"Jaiden first tried running the hurdles during the spring season of her sophomore year and let's just say it wasn't good," Plymouth South Track and Field Coach Jeff Tracey said. "But two weeks later she qualified for states and even later that season she was a member of the shuttle relay hurdle team that qualified for Nationals. She put in the work and improved quickly."

"I kept working at it," Andrews said about her rapid advancement. "I wanted to get better at the hurdles, so I kept practicing and eventually I was able to figure some things out. Becoming a better hurdler helped with improve my times in the sprint, as well."

Andrews, now a senior at Plymouth South, will take her sprinting and hurdling talents to Southern New Hampshire University in the fall. Surrounded by friends and family Thursday morning in the Plymouth South library, she signed a ceremonial letter of intent and accepted a partial scholarship to attend the school.

"They contacted me about coming to the school and I went up there for a visit in the fall. The coach and my teammates really made me feel welcome and I liked the environment around the school," said Andrews, who will major in psychology.

Andrews' personal best time in the 100-meter hurdles is 15.8 seconds, fifth fastest in the state this spring. She qualified for the winter New Balance Nationals once and will head to spring Nationals for the third time later this year.

Andrews also played two years of soccer at Plymouth South. She'll have a nice resource when she makes the transition from high school college athletics. Her older sister Jayci was a standout track athlete at Plymouth South before moving on to Bridgewater State University.

"She told me that one of the biggest differences was that the daily training will be more intense in college," Andrews said.

Email the reporter at dwolcott@wickedlocal.com and follow him on Twitter, @DavidWolcott1.